Today would be my dad’s 86th birthday. Certain protocols to follow on his b’day: a bottle of Mateus wine; several possible main courses; and of course, dessert. Not a great chef, mom did have a small repertoire of yummy comfort food such as baked beans, scalloped potatoes, roasted potatoes, 3 meat tourtiere, turkey noodle soup, and “poor man’s dinner.”
father’s day chocolate cake (Photo credit: freakgirl)
The dessert would be chocolate cake (with lots of icing) served in large or small wedges in a bowl and topped off with ice cream. Growing up, I was allowed to pick any kind of cake for my b’day . . . as long as it was chocolate. My favo(u)rite was the DQ ice cream cakes – not so chocolatey but oh, so ice creamy!
Since he passed, if I was home, I’d go to the cemetery to wish him happy b’day and have a chat about sports, history, humo(u)r. These last few years, I brought helium balloons. A brick held the ribbons down while the balloons swayed and danced in the breeze; or held fast when the wind pushed them sideways
May continues the chain of colo(u)r; lilacs and cherry trees fill the air with colo(u)r and the blending of sweet smells. As the spring bulbs (tulips, daffodils, narcissus) give way to columbines, pansies, violas and violets, colo(u)r even returns to grey spaces like cemeteries. The dancing balloons, all silvery shiny, add their own palette.
So, hey Dad, happy b’day! And the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Islanders are in the play-offs this year. You wouldn’t recognize the format, but you would still love the game. Third year you’ve shared it with Mom; sorry I’m not there to bring balloons; I’m sure you can celebrate without the trimmings.
Ice hockey game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
